Optimize First Pages

A first page is the page a customer sees when they access your site. The home page isn't always the first page for customers. First pages also be a landing page, which a customer accesses through a search engine link, a partner site link, or an email link. There are several ways to optimize first page performance.

Find out what your first pages are
Make your first pages the fastest loading pages
Include CSS and JavaScript inline on first pages
Reduce graphics and JavaScript on first pages

Analyze your traffic to find what the most common first pages are for your site. You could expect that your home page is the most common first page, but instead discover that a landing page from another site or from customer emails is the most common entrance point for customers. The most common first pages are the pages that you want to optimize.

The first page must be the fastest page for your entire web presence. If pages do not load within a few seconds, most new users click away to another site, rather than wait for the page to finish loading. Some of the recommendations for first pages are different from recommendations for site pages, because speed is more important than maintainability for first pages.

Because the browser cache is empty on arrival, include CSS and JavaScript inline, depending on your expected traffic scheme. Including CSS and JavaScript inline reduces the number of HTTP requests and makes the initial page load fast, but results in fewer reusable components. For this reason, inline CSS isn't recommended for general site pages.

You can also reduce the number of graphics or JavaScript on your page to improve the page loading speed. The number and type of features that you include on your first page depend upon your type of web presence.

Match Your First Page to Your Presence

Tailor the features on your first page to how your customers find you and what they need from your site.

One-click presence: A site that most customers find through a search engine link, often because the site is selling a limited number of strongly branded products. Usually the products are presented on the first page and don't need an extensive search feature.
Affiliate-advertising presence: A site that most customers access from partner sites, rather than a search engine link or through the home page. In this case, the landing pages from the affiliates must be fast and the home page can be larger or slower to load.
Example: Site selling movie merchandise that most customers fine from individual movie sites. In this case, optimize multiple landing pages for customers coming from different affiliates.

Feature-focused presence: A site that offers a particular feature, such as a sophisticated search or Flash application, that is a focus of the customer access point. In this case, optimize all first pages to let the feature load quickly. Generally, this type of site has a loyal customer base that returns regularly to the site, ensuring that appropriate caching can help the site perform well, despite having more first page content than most sites.